In this study, neat biodiesel with octanol additive was employed in a diesel engine and its effects on engine emission were studied. The five fuels evaluated were neat palm kernal oil biodiesel, octanol blended with biodiesel by 10%, 20%, and 30% volume, and diesel. All the emissions are reduced by the addition of octanol in biodiesel in all loads owing to the higher oxygen concentration of air/fuel mixtures and improved atomization. Hence, it is concluded that the neat biodiesel and octanol blends can be employed as an alternative fuel for existing unmodified diesel engines owing to its lesser emission characteristics.

This article has been retracted

Water is a basic necessity of man. Economical and efficient production or recycling of water is very much needed in today's world. Solar still has emerged as a life-saving technology to distil brackish water and produce drinkable water using solar energy. The aim of this project was to improve the performance of solar still by adding an air blower which creates a bubbling effect in the still due to which the evaporation rate increases. The bubbling effect using the blower makes the raw water to circulate and to distribute heat energy equally. The evaporated raw water was collected in the glass plate as drop particles. The drop condenses due to ambient air and finally distillate output is collected in the jar, which is placed outside the still. The solar still with air blower arrangement gave higher difference in efficiency and higher distilled output when compared with solar still without an air blower.